An Inflection Point for the Army’s Information Operations Officers
Abstract:
The U.S. Army’s information operations (IO) community stands at a critical strategic crossroad that will shape its trajectory over the coming decade. With the release of Army Doctrine Publication 3-13, Information, the Army risks repeating a long-standing doctrinal error by continuing to define IO officers primarily as “synchronizers” and “integrators” of information capabilities and organizations in support of lethal operations. This narrow framing marginalizes the broader non-lethal potential of IO in joint and combined environments. The paper argues that IO practitioners should instead be conceptualized primarily as deception officers, central to the conduct of influence and information warfare.
AUTHORS
Defense Analysis Deparement
Information Operations Chair Naval Postgraduate School Monterey, California,
United States of America
LTC Pete Wilcox is the Army’s IO Chair in the Department of Defense Analysis at the Naval Postgraduate School. His manuscript was composed during the author’s tenure as an Army Fellow at the RAND Corporation, 2024-25.
Published In
Journal of Information Warfare
The definitive publication for the best and latest research and analysis on information warfare, information operations, and cyber crime. Available in traditional hard copy or online.
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